Xel'Naga
]] The creators of two of the dominating races of the Koprulu Sector, the Zerg and Protoss. Overview *Purity of form *Purity of essence *Physically superior to all known races *Extreme psionic sensitivetyL *High level of psionic abilities (limits unknown) *Slow build rate, strong units *Most expensive in building cost *Tactics and Strategies: Unknown *Signature abilities: Slow Health Regeneration, Regenerative Plasma Shielding, and Permanent Cloaking *Construction Colors: Blue-Silver/Silver Metals with Blue/Green lighting *Technological Achievement Tier: Tier 0 *Psionic Index: Level 11+ Influence Described as "the most powerful species the universe has ever known," the Xel'Naga are a psionically-attuned, ancient, cosmic race which preceded and was mythologized by the Inusannon & Protoss. They were occasionally referred to as the most powerful species known in the universe. While there are vague references of the Xel'Naga conquering worlds and uplifting species, perhaps their most notable involvement was with the Protoss and Zerg. Their interest in these two species was due to the Xel'Naga's cyclical life cycle. When the incredibly long-lived Xel'Naga were due to come to an end, the Xel'Naga would use these two species to be reborn. Ironically their survival was severely jeopardized when the Zerg turned on them. The Xel'Naga cherished all life and refused to kill anything, not even the entity at KL-2. The Protoss eventually followed a version of this philosophy, called the "Dae'Uhl". With the advent of Amon and his Hybrids, the Xel'Naga were forced into hiding to preserve themselves, and were content to observe events while surreptitiously aiding the galaxy over the remaining hundreds of thousands of years. The etymology of the word "Xel'Naga" has been described as a Protoss language term meaning "Wanderers from Afar" but has also been described as their true name. The Protoss referred to the Xel'Naga as the "Ihan-rii", meaning "Eternal Protectors". The Xel'Naga have also been called the "Great Teachers", the "Makers", and the "Guardians". During the Aeon of Strife, and prior to it, some races worshiped them as gods. Some Protoss still refer to them as such. According to Protoss tradition, the Xel'Naga were peaceful, benevolent, and utterly consumed with studying and propagating sentient evolution within the universe. Biology The Xel'Naga are incredibly long-lived by Protoss standards, but not immortal; eventually their species would come to an end. In the interest of survival they planned to create new Xel'Naga by uplifting two species. A pair of qualities was required and these were defined by the Xel'Naga as the purity of essence and the purity of form, and each uplifted species would be targeted for one of them. Over an extraordinarily long period of time, the two species would naturally come together and merge, forming the next generation of Xel'Naga; thus "Xel'Naga" is less a single race and more a descriptive title given to races that have ascended to possess both of these traits and are then gifted with the powerful essence of a Xel'Naga precursor, often an Elder. History Origins Originating from the Void, the Xel'Naga were incredibly long-lived even by protoss standards, but not immortal; eventually their species would come to an end. In the interest of survival they planned to create new Xel'Naga by uplifting two species. A pair of qualities was required and these were defined by the Xel'Naga as purity of essence and purity of form, and each uplifted species would be targeted for one of them. Over an extraordinarily long period of time, the two species would naturally come together and merge, forming the next generation of Xel'Naga and beginning the cycle anew. ]] The cycle was repeated in numerous universes; at the start of a universe's creation, the Xel'Naga would take on physical form and enter the universe, seeding it with life. Arrival in the Milky Way Using khaydarin crystals, the Xel'Naga carefully steered the delicate evolutionary processes of their budding species for millennia, keeping a detailed genetic history of each race. Their protracted experiments produced many intriguing deviants and mutations, but the races that they cultivated always fell short of their enormous expectations. During their journeys, they learned of the Voice in the Darkness, a Void-based entity which consumed entire civilizations. The Xel'Naga, who cherished life, imprisoned it with an Argus crystal beneath a barren world at KL-2. The Xel'Naga found or created a powerful relic, the Argus Stone, which they valued over other artifacts, but left it on the world of Aridas. The zerg believe it had been used to create entire races. The Firstborn Still driven to perfect their science of proto-genetic evolution, the Xel'Naga focused their frustrated efforts on Aiur, one of their engineered worlds. Pleased with the progress of its most advanced native life-forms, the Xel'Naga conceded that their latest creation was their first of all their experiments to evolve beyond the feral constraints of baser life-forms. They gave the new race the name of protoss, or 'the firstborn'. ]] The Xel'Naga slumbered within the Chamber of Ascension as they waited for the two destined races to assemble the Keystone and find their way to Ulnar. Meanwhile, Amon and his followers traveled to Aiur. Unsatisfied with the slow progress of the protoss, they accelerated their evolution and spent a millennium subtly guiding their steps. They even used devices such as the Kassia crystal to enhance their rate of reproduction. Eventually, Amon's Xel'Naga succeeded in leading the protoss to the state of total sentience and awareness. When the protoss became highly intellectual and introspective, Amon and his followers were exhilarated by their seeming success. Attempting to discern the full extent of protoss evolution, they made themselves known to the protoss and integrated into their culture. Amon's Xel'Naga constructed a temple to mark the site where they first set foot upon Aiur. They also dug vast subterranean caverns. The protoss were united by their fascination with these new "gods." They called their new benefactors the Ihan-rii, the "Great Teachers", the "Makers", and the "Guardians". Amon's Xel'Naga marveled at how driven the protoss were to plumb the mysteries of the universe around them. However, they reeled in frustration when the protoss tribes grew further and further apart. At first, Amon's Xel'Naga were intrigued by this ideological development, and conducted an experiment to see what effects the diverging tribes might have on khaydarin crystals. They created twin crystals, the Khalis and Uraj, from a monolithic crystal and gifted them to the Sargas and Akilae Tribe respectively. The crystals' powers and appearance diverged with their tribes. The Departure Amon's Xel'Naga speculated that perhaps they had pushed protoss evolution too far. As individual egos arose to overpower the once primary communal link, many of Amon's followers believed that the protoss had lost their greatest strengths. With the loss of the primal psychic link, which the Xel'Naga considered the most fundamental element of their greatness, they deemed that the purity of form they sought to create had been sullied by a conflict of essence and thus decreed that the protoss were a failed creation as a result of their sentience being pushed too quickly. Amon's Xel'Naga were already done with the protoss, and needed to work on a new species. Hundreds of Amon's followers were killed in a protoss attack when they tried to leave, but they were fended off long enough for the greater number of their worldships to be launched. They left behind khaydarin crystals and at least one ship. Broken Cycle ]] Amon and his followers traveled to Zerus, where they dismissed their tenets of physical form and focused chiefly on the pursuit of a distinct purity of essence. They labored to advance the evolution of the zerg, which was the most insignificant life form on Zerus until their proto-genetic manipulations enabled the zerg to survive the torrential firestorms and thrive. The zerg ultimately developed the ability to assimilate other races into themselves, and Amon knew that they had achieved their goal when the zerg became conditioned to survive the harshness of space. However, the Xel'Naga were alarmed to discover that the original races assimilated by the zerg were almost unrecognizable after only a few generations of their inception. Amon desired their ability to steal essence, but the zerg were independent and would not follow his designs. Remembering their failure with the protoss, Amon's Xel'Naga attempted to waylay the potential hazards of differing egos by structuring the collective sentience of the zerg into a unified, amalgamated hive mind, creating a separate entity called the Overmind to control the swarm. They kept a constant watch on the Overmind via a psychic link. Feeling an absence within the Void itself as the protoss created the Khala, the other Xel'Naga were disturbed from their slumber. Discovering Amon and his followers at Zerus, a war erupted among the Xel'Naga; in response, Amon unleashed the zerg. The Xel'Naga attempted to stem the tide of the ever-advancing onslaught, but the reinforced hulls of their worldships were battered by wave after wave of zerg swarms with no signs of abatement. The Xel'Naga defenses were overrun within a few hours and, while some fled and hid themselves, the greater whole of the Xel'Naga race was consumed, an action which threw the Xel'Naga plan into turmoil. A fraction of the Xel'Naga remained within Ulnar, however, and Amon himself was felled in the final confrontation. He was thrust back into the Void and twisted it with his hatred, though the zerg continued to feel his influence. One of his surviving servants thereafter sought a body to sustain Amon. The Overmind assimilated some of the Xel'Naga's knowledge as it processed thousands of Xel'Naga into itself, and decided that the protoss would become the zerg's ultimate target. Creation's Vacuum During the Golden Age of Expansion, Khyrador became home to the Uraj crystal. However, it was later abandoned when a series of violent psionic storms rocked Khyrador and drove away its protoss settlers. Believing terrazine to be a gift from the Xel'Naga, Tal'darim mystics set up altars on Bel'Shir to collect what they called 'the Breath of Creation'. The Tal'darim also guarded pieces of the Keystone on Monlyth, and a derelict Xel'Naga worldship in the Sigma quadrant. on Shakuras]] When the Nerazim found a temple which the Xel'Naga had constructed above a nexus of powerful cosmic energies, they decided to remain on Shakuras to study it. During the Brood War, the temple grounds were infested by two cerebrates. The protoss scoured the infestation then secured the Uraj. On Char, several cerebrates locked onto the Khalis' energies and nested near it, but it too was retrieved by the protoss. The protoss used the crystals to channel the temple's energies. The resulting explosion obliterated the zerg on Shakuras. Shortly before the , the Xel'Naga Temple on Bhekar Ro was unearthed. The temple housed a strange "phoenix-like" energy creature which absorbed the essences and genetics of both protoss and zerg. experiments]] Duran used genetic manipulation to create protoss/zerg hybrids on a thousand different worlds. At the end of the Brood War, Dark Prelate Zeratul encountered Duran on a dark moon. He continued to seek answers for what manner of being Duran truly was, and what dark future he was working toward. However, he was suffering mentally for numerous reasons, such as the death of Matriarch Raszagal at his hand. Years after his discovery, Zeratul was located by a preserver, Zamara, and her terran "host", Jake Ramsey. They restored Zeratul's mood and exchanged information. According to Zamara, Samir Duran's experiments are a "perversion", and if his attempts to "unify" the species become successful, "a monstrous and powerful perversion of both protoss and zerg will be set loose upon the universe, and all that protoss and terran know and cherish will fall in their wake". Zeratul traveled to the world of Pegasus, where a Xel'Naga Temple hatched. He followed the energy creature through a wormhole to a mysterious planet on the other side. Return of the Xel'Naga Prelate Zeratul and High Templar Karass at a Xel'Naga Shrine]] After uncovering a revelation somehow related to the Xel'Naga, Zeratul sought additional clues to unravel the mystery. Both he and Sarah Kerrigan were drawn to Ulaan to uncover a prophecy on Ulaan, rumored to foretell the return of the Xel'Naga, that was divided into three fragments, each kept at separate shrines. Zeratul gathered the fragments and had them deciphered by the preservers of Zhakul. Crown Prince Valerian Mengsk used the vast resources of the Terran Dominion to scour the Koprulu sector for Xel'Naga artifacts. His Moebius Foundation sought the Keystone. The Dominion went to Mar Sara to excavate a piece of the Keystone. For months, Dominion engineers excavated it at White Rock Base. The Dominion forcibly shipped citizens there from Backwater Station to dig it up. As they were getting ready to move the artifact off-world, it was seized by Raynor's Raiders. ]] Fearing the Keystone's power, Kerrigan dispersed the zerg to search for the various pieces. After Raynor's Raiders had collected the other Keystone fragments, it was assembled and the engineer corps moved it to the base of the primary hive cluster on Char. The terrans protected the artifact while it charged. It then extracted the essence that forged Kerrigan into the Queen of Blades. Narud used that energy to release Amon from the Void. The Xel'Naga wished Kerrigan restored as leader of the Swarm, and had Zeratul (by this point serving their interests, or at least what he perceived as the greater good) guide her to Zerus, where she was reborn as the Primal Queen of Blades, free of Amon's influence. Xel'Naga relics which housed genetic information were also collected by Kerrigan on Zerus. 's temple]] Narud battled Kerrigan at Amon's temple, which he had built Skygeirr Station on top of. Alexei Stukov deactivated the five Xel'Naga temples that were amplifying Narud's power. Kerrigan killed Narud in the heart of the temple, but by this point Amon was alive again. Xel'Naga Worlds The following are worlds known to have been visited by the Xel'Naga, many of them possessing relics of their presence: Known Xel'Naga *Amon (Fallen Precursor Xel'Naga) *Nar'Du (Fallen Precursor Xel'Naga) *Ouros (Precursor Xel'Naga) *Sarah Kerrigan (Xel'Naga essence) *Sav'El (Leviathan Xel'Naga) Category:Races Category:Hybrid Races